A local politician claims to be in talks with the Government about introducing rent caps when landlords let to tenants on benefit.
The leader of Southend Council says his town is being used as a “dumping ground” by London borough councils.
With Local Housing Allowance, and now the housing allowance element within Universal Credit, local authorities in affluent areas struggle to find affordable private rented accommodation for homeless people.
Ron Woodley, an independent councillor, said that London boroughs are shipping people out are given one-way tickets to Southend where rents are cheaper.
In a number of London boroughs market rents are far higher than the LHA maximum cap of £26,000.
Woodley said private rents charged to tenants on benefits should be reduced to those charged in social housing.
He said: “It would save the Government something like £14bn a year in housing benefit and would make housing in cities like London more affordable, so you’d stop the London boroughs sending people out of London because it’s cheaper elsewhere.
“In many European countries they have some sort of cap on what people can charge in rented accommodation and I think we need this to stop the private rented sector running out of control, which is what it’s currently doing.”
However, Richard Hair of Hair & Son estate agents in Southend warned about the dangers of interfering in the market place.
He said: “The Government has an appalling record of interfering in the property market and there have been suggestions not long ago by the Labour Party of capping rent.
“Anyone interfering in any market place does so at considerable risk to the market place.”
In the Southend Echo article, Martin Ransom of Pace estate agents in Southend, warned that reducing returns for landlords could discourage them from taking on any tenants on housing benefits at all.
I agree with Martin Ransom landlords are leaving the housing benefit sector in droves now.
This would make no landlord take them
If anything the rate should be more for all the extra hassle of rents stopping constantly no back date payments. Hugh arrears and U credit .
Being an unpaid social worker and a higher risk of trashed houses as they have no money to claim
against for the damage.
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Well done Ron, genius. The problem with being stupid is that often they are too stupid to realise that they are stupid.
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Off his meds
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amazing, outstanding what a great plan thought of by an MP ……….. Hmmm there is just one slight flaw in this cunning plan……
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It will be self defeating … ludicrous.
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Surely this is discrimination against us working class? Treating one group of people less favourably than another is direct discrimination, therefore if I were a tenant and because I’m working I wouldn’t benefit from the rent cap. Why don’t the government look to more pressing issues. Or just continue taking crystal meth?
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Oh and none of my clients will entertain housing benefit tenants not even on an advance payment
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